Fluorimetric detection of boron by azomethine-H in micellar solution and sol–gel

Mixtures of boron and azomethine-H in solution result in slow complexation. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyethylene glycol dodecyl ether (Brij-35), 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol (TritonX-100), and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) result in considerable decrease in complexation time and enhancement in signal of peak in solution and also sol–gel. The fluorescence of the complex is monitored at an emission wavelength of 486 nm with excitation at 416 nm. The presence of 1 × 10−3 mol L−1 SDS decreased the complexation time up to 10 min in solution and 20 min in sol–gel for above 0.25 μg B mL−1 and 30 min in solution and 35 min in sol–gel for below 0.25 μg B mL−1. However, the photostability did not change by adding micelle in both media. The proposed method shows a linear response toward boron in the concentration range of 0.05–10 μg mL−1 and is selective for boron over a large number of electrolytes and cations. The detection limit was 7 μg L−1. This method has been used for the detection of boron in environmental water samples and fruit juices with satisfactory results.